Muscle tension, especially in the back and shoulders, is a common problem which often manifests itself through localized spasms of muscle tissue—commonly referred to as “knots” or simply pressure points—throughout the affected muscle. One way of relieving muscle tension is through acupressure whereby pressure is applied onto the knots and maintained for a short period of time, until the spasm releases its tension thereby relaxing the muscle and alleviating the pain and stiffness. Often, multiple applications of acupressure are required to achieve the desired result of tension release. The pressure on the muscle can be applied by pressing fingers, knuckles, or other body parts to the knotted muscle, a practice employed by massage therapists of various disciplines and backgrounds. The difficulty of reaching the areas of one's own back, and other areas of the body, with one's own hands and fingers often makes self-application of acupressure difficult. Even if the acupressure points can be reached with one's hands or fingers, it is often difficult to apply sufficient pressure for the necessary duration. A variety of devices have been developed to address this need.
For instance, the following patents                U.S. Pat. No. 4,493,315 issued to Iwahashi        U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,747 issued to newth et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,746 issued to Willow        U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,708 issued to Spratt        U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,693 issued to Lambden        U.S. Pat. No. 6,988,997 issued to Stultzpresent devices with one or two rounded or spheroidal parts of various densities attached to one or two long handles. By means of the handle(s) the rounded surfaces are positioned over the affected areas and pressure or massaging motions are then applied by pulling on the handle(s). Among the drawbacks of this approach is the bulkiness of the apparatus and the fact that the muscle pain and stiffness one desires to relieve will in many cases preclude the arm movements and arm strength necessary to use these devices effectively.        
Another approach is demonstrated by U.S. Pat. No. 7,214,205 B2 issued to Sils, and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2003/0144616 A1, which employs balls of different densities. The ball(s) are sandwiched between the body and a hard surface (wall, floor, seat, etc.) and pressure is applied by gravity through the modulation of one's body weight. The drawback of this approach is the difficulty of positioning free-rolling balls over the acupressure points which easily shift and slide away under applied external pressure. Positioning and re-positioning these devices can be a major challenge for those with back, neck, and shoulder muscle spasms whose range of motion is often limited.
Therefore, there is a need of a compact, portable hand-held acupressure device which combines the capabilities of easy positioning and re-positioning that attached handles provide, with the positive attributes that free-rolling balls provide: the easily achieved minor positional adjustments, the portability, and the utilization of one's body weight to apply the necessary pressure to achieve targeted muscle-tension release for the reduction of pain and stiffness. In addition, there is a need for a hand-held acupressure device which is conveniently portable for use in a variety of environments that is relatively simple in construction, durable, and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.